HOPE: a RWBY OC Story
by rwbyfan5
Summary: Meet HOPE, a team of students at Beacon Academy. Obviously centered around my OCs. Perspective will change a few times every chapter. My first fanfic. Enjoy, rate and review (constructive criticism only, please).
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: well, here it is. The first chapter to my first fic. I don't own RWBY (I wish I did). Follow, Favorite, and tell me what you think with a review.**_

ch.1: Intro

Vi:

"Now," Ozpin said after giving us the run-down on how teams were to be paired up, landing strategies, and our mission, "Are there any questions?" a moment of silence, "Good, now take your positions." Some blonde guy near the end started stuttering out questions like he'd never done this, and looking at him I could believe it.

My name is Vi Ordo (pronounced Vee Or-doe), and I'm a hare Fanus. Call me a rabbit, a dumb animal, or Bunny Boy and I swear to god I will end you. Slowly. Got it? Good. Now, where were we… oh yes, a few miles in mid-air.

I felt adrenaline coursing through my veins, the wind whipping my hair and chilling my face. Needless to say, I was enjoying myself. That is, until I heard a girl yelp as she hit a bird. That snapped me back to the situation at hand. I decided to get as deep into the forest as I could, that would place me closer to my objective and probably get me a partner faster.

I activated my weapons, collectively known as my Moments. They were disguised as wrist/ankle watches, they turn into wrist/ankle mounted swords. With guns.

Anyway, I turned my wristwatches into swords and simultaneously activated the guns in my ankle-watches to give me more momentum. After two minutes and fifteen seconds I slowed down, landed on a large branch, and scanned my surroundings. Seeing nothing, I jumped to the ground and started walking.

Ater:

You'll have to forgive my rather… er, _enthusiastic_ partner. Oh! But I'm getting ahead of myself. So, yea. He made a beeline towards the center of the forest for five minutes before bumping into me...Ater Huginn. Hi. (_A/N: Ater Huginn: Add-air Who-gin)_

My landing strategy was something along the lines of "That tree looks soft enough." _CRASH_. Once I was firmly on the ground and could see straight I started jogging toward where Professor Ozpin said the ruins would be.

After a few minutes, I heard footsteps and saw a Fanus with white hair with white bunny ears to match and what looked like leather padding over a business suit. He turned and we established eye contact, making us partners. We exchanged names and left it at that.

He continued walking and I followed. I didn't really care that he was a fanus, but I knew I was going to get an earful from my mom. She's a very..._opinionated _woman. I can already hear her; "_You could've at least __**tried **__to avoid him!" _or "_You know how working with those __**animals**_ _dragged your father down! They practically CHASED him to his grave, rest his poor soul." _ and so-on. She still blamed the new White Fang and fanus in general for dad's heart attack, even though its been six years. I hated them for a while too, but that time has long since past.

"So," I said, attempting small talk, "Rabbit or hare? Your ears, I mean." little did I know that was the best thing I could've asked. He stopped, turned to me, and looked at me for a long moment before giving me an approving nod.

"What do you think?" he asked, obviously testing me. I thought for a moment.

"Most rabbit fanus have thin frames with long fingers like a pianist, weak upper body strength, and strong legs. You appear a bit bulkier than the average rabbit fanus, have average sized fingers, and while your legs look plenty strong, your arms appear naturally toned. I'd say hare." He lifted his eyebrows, impressed.

"You'd be correct. Most people wouldn't pick-up on that."

"Most people weren't raised by my dad." He made a questioning face, and I instantly knew where this conversation would go, so I skipped to who I was talking about,

"Audax Muninn." now his brows were furrowed. Oh, great; I was going to have **that** conversation with a guy I'd known for all of two minutes

"The famous huntsman-turned-politician? Former leader of the 'Humans for Fanus Rights' group? If I recall correctly he had a son named Ater Muninn, but that can't…" And now he was wearing **that** face. The "I'm so sorry for your loss" face I've been getting for six years now. Just _perfect_.

"My mom change my last name to her maiden name a year after he died. Hey, do me a favor?"

"What?"

"I've seen that look too much these past six years, don't let me see it on your face again. Ever." To my eternal gratitude he understood what I meant and nodded.

Clodi:

YAAAAAAAAA! WHOOOOHOOOOO! TAKE THAT, TREE! AND YOU TO, OTHER TREE! BEND AND BREAK TO THE ALMIGHTY MIGHT OF CLODI EXTIMUS AND HER ALL POWERFUL DOOHICKEY! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA-Hm? My internal tirade was interrupted by some blonde girl in one of those oriental dresses with the sleeves so long that you can't see their hands running at me like I was being attacked. Just like mom told me. I'd seen stronger, but I guess she'd have to do.

Quies:

I had landed in the forest several moments ago, and was currently waiting for the path I had found to lead me to a partner. After a while I started to hear a series of loud explosions. Thinking there was a fight, I rushed towards the noise with Malacia, my weapon, ready. When I got there, however, it was just some girl in what appeared to be an orange sweater/tank-top with cargo shorts (and bangs so thick I couldn't even see her eyes) laughing manicly while destroying the surrounding plant life.

I sighed to myself. Well, It was supposed to be to myself, but it ended up attracting her attention. She smiled and waved at me.

"HEY THERE!" She yelled, "ARE WE PARTNERS NOW?!" I sighed again.

"Yes, in fact we are. My name is Quies. Quies Prelude. What's your's?" **(A/N: Quies: Co-weeze)**

"Clodi!" she said after jogging over to me. **(A/N: Clodi: Claw-dee)**

"Nice to meet you." I said politely. But this only made her squint at me.

"How would you know? We've only just met! For all you know, I'm a world-class bitch!" This took me aback.

"O-oh, well. I guess we'll just have to figure it out then, huh?"

"Guess so." she said with a wide grin. She then turned toward a random direction and shouted, "ONWARD!"

Third-person:

And so now we have four students that have been partnered up. Vi and Ater are about a mile from the ruins, Quies and Clodi are not too far behind. For the past ten minutes, Vi and Ater have been telling stories about their lives.

"And so, after a few more tests, the doctor said it wasn't as bad as my mom thought. I just had OCT!" Vi finished.

"OCT?"

"**O**bsessive **C**ompulsive **T**raits. Basicly like a watered-down version of OCD. I'm not germaphobic or anything, I just like things being where they should be being."

"I take it that it makes you very organized, right?"

"Pretty much, yea." they chuckled for a bit before they heard a snipits of a conversation happening on a nearby path. Ater looked over to Vi.

"You hear that?"

"Yea, let's go check it out." they weaved around a few trees before coming up to find Quies and Clodi. The girls' chat came to a halt when Quies saw Vi.

"Vi! What the hell are you doing here!? How have you been?! You look great!" She rushed to embrace him.

"Quies? Oh my god! I've been great! How are you? Wow, what's it been? Two, three years?" she smacked him on the back of the head after a big hug.

"Half a year, smartass. I'm good. Better now. Oh! This is Clodi, Clodi this is V-." Quies was cut off when Clodi suddenly launched herself at the poor fanus.

"OH MY GOD, YOU ARE JUST THE MOST ADORABLE THING I'VE EVER SEEN!" She squealed in delight. Quies and Ater found this hilarious, and were laughing loudly. Vi, meanwhile, was struggling for breath in the girls cleavage.

"A-Air!" he pleaded. After a long moment he was released. He took a long breath and said, "Hey there. This is Ater Huginn." He gestured in Ater's basic direction.

"Hi. So, how do you two know each other?" Ater asked

"Childhood friends. Next door neighbors since as long as I can remember." Vi said simply, still trying to catch his breath. Quies nodded in agreement.

"And yet you haven't seen each other in six months?"

"My family and I moved so I could get better schooling. But, Vi, you always said you were going to be a watchmaker like your father. And how did you get the knowledge and skills to get into Beacon in _six months_?" Vi smiled and waved his hands in a "ta-da" fashion.

"Suprise! I've been getting private tutoring for **years** so I could surprise you. You really think I'm gonna let my big brother fight monsters all by herself?" Ater and Clodi were immediately confused.

"Big...Brother?" they said in unison. Ater looked at Vi, expecting him to correct himself. Clodi gazed candidly at Quies' crotch, expecting to see something under her combat dress. Vi's eyes widened as he realized what he had done.

"Quies...I-" Vi looked like he'd just accidently stabbed her, he was so sorry. Quies stared daggers at him, then she closed her eyes and sighed.

"I suppose now's as good a time as any. Yea, I'm gay." she opened her eyes to glare more at the hapless hare, "Happy, Dust Bunny?"

"I'm so sorry!" Vi looked down, mortified, "I slipped again."

"Geez, it's alright! I'm not ashamed of it, and I was going to have to tell these guys anyway. Something tells me we're going to be on a team." Vi didn't look convinced, so she gave him a gentle hug. Ater chuckled.

"I've never seen one guy get so many hugs in so short a time before." he said, nudging his partner with his elbow. Vi smiled.

"It's the ears," he gave them a twitch, "Chicks dig it. Even lesbians."

"Oh, get over yourself, Tick!" Quies laughed. This apparently had some meaning or memory to Vi, because he looked immediately looked offended.

"Can it, carpet muncher!"

"Neat Freak!"

"Grass Barf!"

"Wheatwhacker!"

This continued for a good while before Ater snapped.

"ENOUGH! DID YOU TWO GROW UP IN A FREAKING BARN?!" Ater yelled, not understanding any of the childhood references they were making.

"Near one…" Vi mumbled. Ater glared at him, thoroughly done with this They were immediately silent.

"So, if we're done here, I say we continue our mission." Ater said. They all agreed and kept walking.

_**A/N: And so it is done. Didn't like it? Like it? Find a grammar error? Just want to say "Hi"? Drop me a review! Tell me what I did right/wrong! (constructive criticism only) Later FNDM!**_


	2. Show and tell

_**A/N: And here it is, chapter two! in here we will have Everyone's weapons and a bit of back-story! don't forget to follow, favorite, and review!**_

ch. 2:Show-and-Tell

Quies:

We traveled for a while in awkward silence. Well, we would've if not for Clodi.

"And he was like 'Blaghggg' and then I was like 'SMASH' and then I found a doughnut under him!" Confused? Apparently, trees go "Blaghggg" when told they're about to die.

"Then when I was done I smashed his co-conspirators!"

"Don't they have a psych evaluation in the entrance exams here at Beacon? How did she pass that?" Vi whispered to me.

"Probably the same way you did, Neat Freak." I teased.

"Actually, I'm quite calm when I'm not in a combat situation! I passed it with flying colors!" Clodi sang from the front of our group. That gave us both a moment of embarrassed silence. In this period of quiet, I had a thought.

"Hey Vi, how did you afford a tutor? Especially one that could teach you enough to pass the entrance exams, AND have enough time to spend pretty much all day in the fields with me and the others?" This made him make a face. I've known him for years, I know all his faces, this was the face he made when he wanted to keep a secret from me. Never a good idea

"W-well, I really studied hard in those last six months, a-and I trained for, like, a really long time before that. And I...u-um…" I saw all the hallmarks of guilt in his stuttered excuse, and a few that were unique to him. Being OCT and the son of, not one, but TWO of the best fanus watchmakers in Remnant makes him VERY specific about time periods. He NEVER says "A really long time" outside of a lie, joke, or under a lot of stress. Also the same deal when using "Like" that way. He knew I knew, so I just glared at him.

"A dig a doe?" He asked in our "twin talk". He wanted to know if I would talk to him in our old language. obviously he didn't want Ater or Clodi listening in.

"A necky toe." I said, confirming that I would. We talked like that for a bit, but it was basically his dragged out way of saying he'd tell me later. I told him I'd hold him to that.

he nodded and focused on walking. Whatever his secret was, it was bad. We were going to have a rather lengthy chat when "later" came.

Vi:

_Oh, shit! _I thought to myself as we trod on, _Oh, shit! Oh shit! Ohshiiiit! She's gonna find out! Worse; She'll figure out how horrible I am and will never speak to me again! All those years! For nothing!_ my soliloquy continued as we continued on our path. I was vaguely aware that Clodi was still ranting about something or other, but what did I care? My life was falling apart!

"Wow!" I heard Ater say, "And they just gave you a _weaponized arm_?!" Weaponized arm? How do you weaponize an arm? Clodi grinned.

"Yeap! I call her my 'Doohickey'!" She laughed and raised her left arm. Then suddenly her hand popped out of her wrist like a rocket connected by a chain. She swung it around like a mace for a bit before reattaching it. Now _that_ brought me out of my stupor. I took a close look at the arm. It was prosthetic! Her whole arm was a weapon! Which, I guess, is the meaning of "Weaponized". Yikes. She made another demonstration by turning her arm into a four-barreled Minigun/shotgun, then monstrous claws, and finally into a good old fashion sword. I guess this was show-and-tell, because Quies grinned that grin she gets when she's about to show-off.

"Well," she said, "Would anyone like to see mine?" everyone nodded, including myself. Just because I've seen it in action doesn't mean it's any less cool. She pointed at a near by tree, and with my fanus hearing I heard a small pop. She stood like that for a second longer before yanking her hand back, but nothing happened.

"Vi," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice, "could you push the tree, please?" I did. Suddenly the tree fell over, a clean cut in the middle.

"How'd you do that?" asked Clodi, bemused.

"Malacia." she said simply.

Ater:

Actually, the trick is quite simple if you have 10/20 vision. From where I stood, I could see slight shimmers in the air. She'd used some kind of sharp thread, like garrote wire. It was so thin that you couldn't see it if you don't look for it, and even then you'd have a hard time. My suspicions were confirmed when she took of her overflowing dress to reveal light armor covering her chest. On her arms were a pair of vambraces.

Attached to the underside of these vambraces were three tubes. On the topside was what appeared to be the barrels of large-caliber sniper rifles with excessively large silencers. All of these were connected to a large armor-plated backpack on her...well, back.

"The first tube," she explained, "holds what I call 'Grabbling Wire'. It pulls small things towards me, and me towards where I want to go. It's basically for mobility and grabbing things. The third is what you just saw, it's a wire that is as sharp as it is thin. I call it, rather appropriately, 'Sharp String'."

"What about the middle one?" I asked. In answer, she activated it. A long and clear rapier came out. "oh...well. And the one in the back is a sniper rifle of some sort?"

"Yep, it can fire armor-piercing and explosive rounds." Vi answered for her, and rather smugly to.

"Okay, and why is the rapier clear?" I asked. She gave me a sly grin.

"To mess with people." This answer just raised more questions, but I let it go. Quies put her dress back on.

"Well then, I suppose it's my turn." I quickly drew my sword. I could see that Vi and Clodi recognized it. Quies to, but she misunderstood.

"Oh," she said, "that looks just like that one politician's sword! What was his name?" she looked over to Vi.

"Audax Muninn. Ater here is his son. That _is _that sword, Quies. Nepenthe."

"Oh." She made **that** face, "Isn't he…?"

"_Anyway_," I said, quickly changing the subject, "The sheath you see here is actually part of the blade. It folds out, becoming twice as long. It also doubles as a rifle, bo staff, spear, and a pez packet dispenser." they thought the last one was a joke, apparently they didn't know as much about my dad as they thought they did.

"My turn!" Vi sang. He jumped into the air and somersaulted. Blades shot out of his sleeves and pant legs, and he landed on the ground balancing on the blade tips. I could see that the ones on his wrists were designed like something between a katana and a rapier, while the swords on his ankles were more like broadswords, "Say hello to my Moments!"

"Vi, that's cool and all, but stilt swords? Really?" Quies said. He looked momentarily embarrassed.

"Yea, you always said I couldn't be a hunter because I'm so short. So...I fixed that." It was true, if you added the swords keeping him upright, I came up to his hip now. Previously he only came to just below my chin. Though the part about being 'too short' was total bull. Quies seemed to think for a bit.

"Well, I guess you're hunter material now! Study and train hard enough, and you might just keep up to me!"

I could see that the praise of his childhood friend added some fire in his eyes. I wondered if he had a crush on her, and pitied him; he'd been "brother zoned" _and_ "outside-of-my-sexual-orientation zoned". Harsh. But then I looked again...No, I decided, the love I saw wasn't romantic; it was fraternal. He was simply looking for the approval of an older sibling, and had no romantic delusions. My thoughts quickly snapped back as Vi turned into a small force of nature.

He was balancing on one sword tip and spun rapidly, using guns attached to his ankles to increase speed and the other three swords to hack and slash at a tree. He would change which sword he would balance on at blinding speeds and became a whirlwind of blades. You couldn't even see his face, he was spinning too fast. He tore the tree to shreds in seconds.

"Vi here," Quies said, "also has a perfect sense of time! Watch this; Hey! Vi!" she called out to him. He stopped and looked at her.

"What?"

"How long did it take you to reduce that poor innocent tree to sawdust?" Vi didn't even hesitate.

"Thirty-seven seconds, why?"

"No reason. What time is it?" Vi paused, if only for a moment.

"5:12 and six seconds." Judging by his exasperated tone, Vi now understood he was being showcased.

"How long have we been here?"

"The pads launched us into the forest forty two minutes and ten seconds ago, as of the moment you asked. Are you done?"

"Yea." We all laughed.

"Hey, Vi?" I asked.

"Yea?"

"How do you do that and not get dizzy as hell?" He smirked.

"Conditioning!" He laughed.

After a short walk, however, we found our situation a whole lot less funny.

_**A/N: Oh, No! Cliffhanger! What happened? Who knows?...well, I do. But thats beside the point! What did you think? Good? Bad? Review! oh, and follow and favorite! Later Fanatics!**_


	3. Ursa Major

ch. 3: Ursa Major.

Vi:

This was one of those "Good news, bad news" situations: Good news was we'd found our objective, the ruins! Bad news was so had three Ursa Major. Now, if you're going to understand what I did next, you'll have to understand how my brain works. First, I love Clockwork! Press anything that ticks against any of my ears and you will have yourself a very calm and relaxed Vi. Quies thinks it's my OCT, but it's not. Secondly, I love order. nothing makes me happier than when things are when they are meant to be. It feels so natural! What doesn't feel natural is the creatures of Grimm. One look at them, even a picture, and my blood boils. Grimm were disorder and chaos and everything I hate in this world.

These Grimm were no exception, and I felt rage course through me like fire. I tell you these things because I want you to understand why, the very moment I saw them, my swords made an appearance and I charged. Screaming like a madman, I did my signature Tornado of Doom and cut THREE URSA MAJOR to ribbons. When I was done, and I stood over their bodies, the anger faded and was replaced with euphoria.

Clodi:

Oh. My. GOD. Mom was SO right! I saw the moment when the adorable one turned into the HOT one! The same second he looked at the Ursa, he went all like "RRRRAAAAAAAA!" And the pretty one was all like "WTF is you doin'?!" and the sad one just sat there like "Wat?" And I was all like "Oh. My. GOD!" and then he killed them and was all like "I AM AWESOME!" and I was all like "Hells yea you are!" And then w-

Ater:

My sincerest apologies for that. Anyway, yes; Vi went completely apeshit on a three Ursa Major. He charged with his swords drawn and a blood curdling war cry. He used the recoil from the guns on his feet to jump in the air and land on them with a drill like spin. That killed one of them right on the spot, and he quickly gutted the other two.

Impressive by any standard you could put on the son of some watchmakers. And he was my partner now...wow. _If he can keep that anger in check_, I thought, _we'll get along just fine_. Quies, Clodi, and I ran over to Vi in a flash...the moment it appeared he was a bit calmer. Quies was immediately by his side saying something about some happy childhood memory, Clodi was babbling some nonsense or other behind me and excitedly bouncing up and down, and I was standing in front of him shaking his shoulders in an attempt to snap him out of his daze. He looked at me a moment like I was a complete stranger, then whatever spell he was under broke and he looked terrified. His eyes snapped instantly to Quies, and his terror turned into sadness.

"Q-Quies...I-I'm so-" Quies cut him off with a roll of her eyes and an annoyed groan.

"Vi, I don't know how you pulled that out of your ass, but you did and saved us a lot of trouble! I'm like your sister! I can see you go a little crazy and not hate you!" the speech seemed to calm him down, but it made me wonder how often this happened. Stranger and stranger, this fanus. I looked him in the eye.

"You alright?" I asked. He nodded.

"Y-yea… just need to calm down a bit. Let's just grab the relics and head back." he jerked a thumb at the ruins. We walked over there to find that there were only two left, we were the last. I scanned the area and found evidence of any more grimm activity. For starters, there were several Nevermore feathers impaled into the ground not too far away. Also, curiously enough, there was a large amount of ice near the feathers for no apparent reason. Thinking for a bit, I turned to my potential teammates.

"I'm going to scout out ahead, I need to know if we're gonna run into a giant Nevermore." I stated.

"You can't just go alone!" my partner yelled, "What can you do if you actually _find_ the giant Nevermore?!" I smiled.

"Well, for starters," I said, activating my Semblance, "I can turn invisible." I had indeed become invisible, and the others were now staring at the spot where they assumed my head was.

"THAT IS SO TOTALLY COOL!" Clodi shouted.

After a bit more debate, I left to scout out the forest.

Quies:

I looked over to Vi, silently trying to bore into his skull with my eyes. Feeling my gaze, he studied his feet with an equal amount of intensity. I sighed. Then I noticed that Clodi was climbing the ruins, far away from us.

"Vi," I said, dragging out his name, "We're going to talk about this, and we're going to do so NOW." I didn't yell the last word as hiss it, but he flinched all the same. It was time we played our old game of "Spill the Beans, or Else".

Our relationship was a strange one. I've always been very protective of him, and people would often accuse me of pretending to be gay so no one would suspect me of dating a fanus. These same people stopped after I'd gotten a fanus girlfriend (she was really cute, a reindeer fanus, but it only lasted a few months. Oh, but I gush).

Vi was like a twin brother to me, he was only two days younger than me. I mean, what are the chances, right? But he still treats me like an older sister, which got annoying from time to time. He's always had a need for my approval almost as deep as his OCT, and it's hard watching him do so many stupid things to try and "earn" something he's always had.

As far as I was concerned, this whole thing was just the latest in a series of idiotic choices from an otherwise intelligent kid.

"W-well," he stuttered out, "I've b-been training for the past...four years." I did a quick calculation.

"Since we were _thirteen_?!"

"...yea…" There was a long pause.

"Do your parents know?"

"I told them last month." He said, looking a little guilty. A thought occurred to me.

"So if your parents didn't know, how'd you afford it?" He froze all of his tiny nervous twitching, and I could see he was scrambling for a lie.

"I-I sold a few of my things, fixed a few clocks, found some odd jobs, you know...stuff."

"Odd jobs? when did you find the time?" He gave me a nervous grin.

"Finding time is kinda what I do." Cue nervous laughter from Vi.

"You're dodging the question." His grin vanished faster than it appeared. "Just tell me what you're hiding! I _will_ find out eventually! And if I have to do so the hard way, you _will_ regret it!" He looked terrified, and I felt briefly guilty. _Very _briefly. His eyes fix on the ground and I could tell he was done lying. He cleared his throat.

"W-well, you kn-know those mushrooms that would grow around the farm that our parents told us not to touch because they would make you see monsters that weren't there?"

Oh. Oooh hell, no. THAT WAS ALL?! REALLY?!

"Let me guess, you were selling them?"

"Yea." I sighed for the umpteenth time that day, this time mixing in a groan.

"Vi, you are so smart most of the time. This is _not_ one of those times." I pulled him into a tight hug.

"Wow, if it's really that effective, I'm seriously considering getting myself some bunny ears." Ater stated, turning visible directly in front of us. We both jumped and landed on our asses, causing him to laugh.

"**How long have you been there**?" Vi asked, murder in his gaze and voice.

"I got here just in time to see Quies say something to cheer you up. I turned visible the moment I was in front of you."

"We're getting you a bell to tie around what's left of your throat after we kick your ass." I said, understandably angry.

"Wouldn't work, the only sound my body makes when invisible are ones I want it to. Like my voice. Anyway, can we talk?" He asked me, then looked to Vi, "Privately?" Vi looked like he was going to protest, and I was about to tell Ater off for suggesting it. But then Vi sighed and walked off.

"Alright, what?"

"How long have you known Vi?"

"Ever since I can remember, why?"

"How many times has he lost it like he did a few minutes ago?"

"Only a handful of times."

"'Only'?" he said with a tone I didn't like.

"Yes, 'only'! What of it?" I snapped back. He raised his hands defensively

"I just want to know if he's safe to be around." That was the wrong thing to say to me right then.

"Safe? SAFE?!" Now he was really starting to piss me off. He was turning out to be just another stupid, bullheaded, ba-

"He's the most adorable bunny boy ever!" Clodi added, suddenly right next to me and causing me to jump (again). "And he gets super hot when his eyes are all bloodshot and his breathing goes all-" She mimicked how ragged Vi's breathing got when he finally stopped stabbing the Grimm. "-but now he's back to being cu-"

"Clodi." Ater interrupted

"Yea?"

"How long have you been there?" Clodi thought for a moment.

"When Quies started yelling, why?"

"Okay, so where's your relic?" She just laughed at this.

"I've been completly zoned out for, like, 90% of the time we've been here! I was just sittn' around and was waiting for you guys!"

"I've got both!" Vi yelled from a tree he'd climbed, presumably out of boredom. His hand popped out of the leaves holding one of the relics. Actually, now that I looked at it, it looked like a chess piece. Black knights.

"MY BUNNY HAS THE HORSIES!" Clodi yelled from a tree not to far from Vi's. Wait, what? I looked to my side where she'd been just seconds before. She was, of course, not there any more. Cripes, I ought to get _her_ that bell. We unanimously decided to return to Beacon and we got there without incident.

When we arrived there, we asked why we weren't attacked on our way back and they told us that one team had taken down a Nevermore, while another one took down a Deathstalker. The dying screams of two incredibly strong Grimm within such a short time span had made the weaker creatures of darkness run away crying to their mommies.

Oh well, time to start our time at Beacon Academy.


	4. Settling in

Ch. 4: Day one

Ater:

My friends and I stepped up to the stage.

"Ater Huggin, Vi Ordo, Quies Prelude, and Clodus Extim-"

"IT'S CLODI!" Clodi shouted.

"My apologies. Clodi Extimus. You four collected the black knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as: Team HOPE. Lead by… Ater Huginn" Vi turned to me.

"Nice Job!" he said with a smile. We high-fived and got off the stage. Ozpin went on to list the rest of the teams, but I didn't pay much attention to that. We decided to slip off to our dorms and celebrate. But before that, Vi pointed out that Quies had disappeared.

"Where'd she go?"

"I saw her talking to some girl with ridiculously blonde hair." Clodi said.

"Oh, yea! I remember her saying something about 'the gay being strong in her'." Vi stated.

"Should we grab her?"

"No, she's locked on target. She'll come to the dorm when she feels like it."

"Guy's! Look over there!" Clodi pointed into a nearby crowd. Inside, I saw a blonde haired girl laugh at something Quies had said. Next to her was a girl in a black bow looking very jealous. Quies waved goodbye and walked back to us with a wide smile.

"What was that?" I asked her.

"That," she said, motioning back to the two girls, "Was a mission success." Vi slapped his forehead.

"Quies, what have I said about playing matchmaker?"

"Not to. Why?" She replied with an innocent look.

"Because that's exactly what you're doing!"

"And how do you know I wasn't just trying to make friends?"

"Because of that shit-eating grin on your face and the fact that you don't make friends with two hot girls simultaneously."

"Whatever," she said dismissively, "Let's just go to our dorm."

**In the Dorms:**

Vi opened our dorm door and we all walked in. We through our stuff into the closets and crashed on our beds. I took a moment to look around and let it all sink in. I was in my team's dorm at beacon...I had a team. I looked at them. Vi was talking with Quies in some kind of foreign language, looking ashamed at something. Quies looked both annoyed and amused. Clodi was looking through the fridge for something to snack on. She'd been a lot calmer and quieter since we'd arrived at Beacon, which made me curious.

"Hey, Clodi?" she looked over to me.

"What?"

"You seem awfully quiet, something wrong?"

"No, no," she said with a reassuring smile, "I'm just not using my semblance right now."

"What's your semblance?" I asked, even more curious.

"I call it 'divine madness'. It lets me feel what will happen in the immediate future, but the side effect is...well, madness. I say 'I feel the future' because I don't actually know what'll happen, I just get feelings. I keep it active inside combat situations, but it requires adrenaline to kick start it."

"Is that why I found you wailing on trees?" Quies asked.

"Yea, you caught me just as the madness set in." Clodi replied with an embarrassed smile.

"Hmm...speaking of semblances, I think it's your turn to share, guys." I said to the other half of my team.

"Sure. I've got glyphs." Quies said, making several tiny glyphs in the air around her, "My glyphs are unique in the fact that I can make dozens of tiny ones, as opposed to a handful of large ones. It's how I manipulate my strings so well, I guide them with my glyphs."

"Cool. What about you, Vi?"

"I've got short range teleportation." He said suddenly behind me, then back in his bed.

"Also cool. So, since we're familiar with each other's weapons and semblances, we should have no problem with combat training. Now, let's focus on the people themselves; It's backstory time! Who wants to go first?" Vi and Quies shared a look.

"We can." they said together. A creepy habit that I was going to have to get used to.

Vi:

"We grew up in a small village outside of Vale. My parents are the best watchmakers in Remnant, human or otherwise." I started.

"My dad is a carpenter and my mother is a seamstress." Quies added.

"One day, when we were five, a pack of Grimm come out of nowhere and start wreaking havok. A team of huntsman arrived, but not before a large portion of our village was killed. Ever since then, I got into fits of rage whenever I see those things."

"It was the same day I decided to become a huntress. Vi was supposed to stay with the village and become a watchmaker like his parents, but it would appear that he had other plans in mind. One thing he didn't mention was why the Grimm attacked."

"Do you know?" Ater asked. She gave him a sad smile.

"On the day they attacked, the local bullies found out I was a lesbian. So they took it upon themselves to try and...persuade me otherwise."

"By that she means they beat her bloody." My face twisted into a frown. Despite how long ago it was, the anger had never subsided. "And by 'they found out' she means that I'd let it slip while talking to my dad. One of the little demons happened to be walking by. Do you know what they did after the attack?" The feeling of anger was replaced by shame and guilt.

"Apologized for being such assholes?" Clodi guessed hopefully.

"No, they blamed her and tried to kill her"

"And you stepped in and socked one in the dick. We ran away and got sticks, but our parents stopped us before we could do anything." Quies said, her expression said she was amused by the memory. I, too, lightened up at the recalling.

"'The Filthy Fanus and the Dirty Dyke'. That was our title amongst the...undesirables, and we wore it like a badge. Of course, we had friends outside of each other, but we were always a team after that. I was the future huntress and Vi was my adorable shadow, you couldn't have it any other way!" We both laughed.

"So, that's our story, who's next?"

"I'd rather not." Clodi said meekly. Clodi being meek...was actually very cute. I'd become to the loud and obnoxious Clodi, it was disorientating to see her like this. Ater shrugged.

"That's fine, I'll go next."

_**To be continued...**_


	5. Ater's Story

Ch. 5: Ater's story

_**A/N: Super short chapter this week. I'll have an extra long one next time! **_**_Also, shout out to Johanne Smithe and Redret for being the only ones to follow! You guys rock!_**

Ater:

I was raised in Vale. Lived here my whole life, and I've never been outside of its walls. Never needed to. You all have heard of my father, Audax, the huntsman turned politician. He used to joke about how he just traded one kind of monster for another. He said that this new monster had to be killed with words and paper instead of bullets and swords.

My mom is Gemma Huggin, CEO of Huggin Intelligence, or H.I. for short. As the name suggests, H.I. is a company that has been collecting information on pretty much everything for as long as the kingdoms have been standing. I could probably call my mother and have detailed files on all of you within the hour.

I don't tell you this to scare you guys, I just thought you had the right to know. I haven't spoken with her much since my father died six years ago, but I digress. Growing up was very..._crowded_. All around me were people analyzing my every move because my parents were so powerful. My father got on the White Fang's bad side, and my mother had dirt on pretty much everyone. A carefree childhood, that doesn't make.

I've been training with my father's sword, Nepenthe, since I was old enough to hold it. Not because I wanted to, but because I was forced to by the people who would like nothing more than to see me dead. And all the while I wanted nothing more than to just...not be _there_, you know? Not be around all of those smiling people, metaphorically holding knives behind their backs. Just waiting to spill blood. When I eventually figured out what my semblance, it was invisibility. Then it all made sense, my father had trained me to fight so that I could escape those people. So, I did. I came _here_ so I wouldn't be _there_.

So that's me. That's why I'm here. Any questions?


	6. Day Two

Ch. 6: Day Two

Vi:

After Ater told us his story, we went to sleep. When morning came, we quickly prepared for school. But, seeing as our first class wasn't until 9:00, we had time. So we unpacked our luggage and talked.

"So, Clodi," I said, hoping to address a question I had, "I couldn't help but notice that you were hesitant to share last night, why?" She became slightly pale at my questioning.

"Well...It's just...it's personal…"

"That's the poi- ahh!" I was interrupted by a sharp slap to the back of my head.

"Lay off, Vi. She said she doesn't want to talk about it, so we won't talk about it." Quies chided me. I rubbed the back of my head and sent her a pout. Clodi immediately wrapped me in a hug.

"Oh, Vi, are you hurt?" I decided to play along. I gave her my biggest puppy (bunny) eyes and teared up a bit.

"Quies is being mean to me!" I whined and nuzzled my head into her shoulder as if to protect myself from Quies' wrath. Clodi covered my head with her arms and sent Quies a glare. Quies just crooked an eyebrow.

"You cannot honestly believe-"

"Don't worry Vi, she won't hurt you any more." Clodi wasn't listening to her, choosing instead to comfort me. Quies facepalmed.

"You've gotta be-" Ater put a hand on Quies' shoulder.

"Just let it go, the power of bunny ears has obviously infected her mind. There's no hope for her now." She sighed.

"I suppose you're right." Assholes, the lot of them. I became a little distracted after that, Clodi was scratching in between my ears. A deep relaxation overcame me, and I became aware of something at the edge of my hearing. A faint ticking.

"Wait a minute." I muttered aloud. I placed my ear over her heart. Yes, that was it! Her heart was making a clockwork ticking instead of a normal beat. "Clodi...your heart…" I stuttered, looking her in the one eye I could make out from behind her thick bangs.

"It was replaced along with my arm. Yes, Vi, it's clockwork." Quies let out a loud bark of laughter. "I'm serious!" Clodi defended. Quies raised a hand in apology.

"Not what I'm laughing at, Clodi. I was laughing at the fact that Vi freaking loves clockwork, and he just met his dream girl. Did you think that Vi brought an alarm clock because he needs something to wake him up in the morning? He keeps it because the noise helps him sleep!" Quies and Ater laughed, while Clodi and I just blushed and pushed each other away.

"I-it's 8:40, we should probably get going." I stuttered out.

"Aww, he's embarrassed! How adorable!" Quies cooed. Ater laughed a bit more before stepping up as team leader.

"He's right, let's go."

Clodi:

So, that's why mom wanted my heart to be clockwork instead of something more practical. Just for some guy? No, she wouldn't do that...he was important somehow. Our lives must be tied together in some way. From what Quies suggested, my heartbeat (er, tick) had a soothing effect on him. But in such an intimate area? Why not put the clockwork in my hand?

'_Well, he is cute..._' the voice in my head, Deus, said lustily.

'_Oh, piss off, Deus!_' I mentally shouted back.

'_Make me!_' She spat back. I just sighed and went back to my line of thought. Deus had been in my head ever since I'd discovered my semblance. She was very...primal. In a way, she was my semblance: I get adrenaline in my system, and she'd lend me strength and instincts that rivaled a full-fledged Huntress. Unfortunately, this meant that she also temporarily affected my psyche as payment. Not fun. Well, it's kinda fun. Mom had told me that she was a curse and blessing that has been passed down the family ever since the dawn of man.

There were some perks; she has a great memory, and let's me cheat off of her on tests and stuff. But there were some definite drawbacks; Her ceaseless teasing and constant mind games were just a few.

'_I'm a being of the mind, I don't have much else to do._' She defended.

'_Whatever._' I said dismissively.

'_Anyway, you were saying something about that adorable fanus boy?_'

'_Right, what's up with him? I mean, Mom literally made my heart for him! Who does that?!_'

'_Mom, obviously. Would you really put it passed her if she thought it was for the best?_' I remained silent. She totally would. She HAD. And all I could do was wonder what was next.

Ater:

We were just about to leave before I saw something. Vi was looking very agitated, probably from the teasing Quies and I had done. But then Quies spoke up.

"Come on Vi, say it. You know you want to, you're doing that twitchy thing with your hands again." Vi cast his gaze to the floor and put his hands behind his back.

"What does the twitching mean?" I asked.

"It means that your tie is crooked."

"What?" I looked at my necktie, it was fine.

"I wasn't going to say anything, but...you know what?" He walked over to me and straightened my tie. He then proceeded to fix all the tiny imperfections in my uniform. Then he fixed Quies' and Clodi's. When he was done, he stood back and smiled, "Perfect!"

"How much time left? I asked him.

"Fifteen minutes and forty-seven seconds." Vi responded happily.

"Can we go now, mother hen?" Quies asked Vi. He put a finger to his chin, as if to consider it.

"I suppose so."

"Then let's go!" Clodi said, exasperated. We hurried out of the room and of to classes. Our first one was together, History with Prof. Oobleck, but after that we were most of the day. Only Combat training with Prof. Goodwitch, which was our last class, brought us together again. It was at the beginning of this class that I asked everyone how it their first day had gone.

"Meh, it was okay." Quies and Vi said simultaneously.

"Mine were actually kinda fun." Clodi stated, "Botany and math were a breeze."

"Grimm Studies is a real pain when the teacher would rather talk about himself instead of Grimm." I said.

"Mr. Huginn, would you like to volunteer to for our first sparring match?" Prof. Goodwitch asked venomously. I shrugged.

"Sure."

"Alright then, who would like to be faced against him?" Vi raised his hand, "Mr. Ordo, then. Both of you, please come to the fighting area." we did, looking at each other to inform the other that there'd be no holding back. We walked on to the fighting area with our weapons at the ready. When the match started, Vi quickly teleported in front of me and slashed with his swords. I blocked them and shifted Nepenthe into its bo staff form for longer reach. I activated my semblance and snuck behind him, hoping for a clear shot at him. Unfortunately, he did that tornado thing and got me in the shoulder. I cried out, allowing him to locate me. He jumped up with the assistance of his ankle mounted guns and shot towards me like a drill. I was able to dodge out of the way, but then he teleported to adjust his trajectory and he got me in the back. I fell but quickly got back up and turned Nepenthe into its rifle form. He used his semblance to get out of the way of my bullets, but I could see that he was wearing down. Very few people had a semblance that didn't use a certain amount of focus and energy. As a last ditch effort he charged me, but I swiped his legs out from underneath him with Nepenthe in bo staff form. He fell, and the screen showing our auras said that Vi's was depleted.

"Match, Ater Huginn is victor. Well done." Said our instructor. I held out my hand and help Vi up.

"Nice shot." He said weakly.

"You're not too bad yourself." We smiled at each other and walked off the fighting area leaning on each other.

Quies:

Well, that was...something. I'd never seen Vi in combat other than the time with the three Ursa. It was...unnerving. Vi had always been so innocent, but the scene I saw before me was brutal. And the look in his eye as he sat back down next to me told me he'd enjoyed it. It was so different than the image I had in my mind of him. What had happened? How had I not noticed this when we were neighbors? How much had changed?

I had no real way of answering the building questions that were swirling in my mind, and it scared me. But I decided that there was an explanation, and that the Vi I knew was still here, sitting right next to me. He looked over to me and smiled, and I smiled back. The rest of class came and went, and we left to go to lunch.

I had a PB&J, Vi had a salad with bits of meat in it, Ater had a steak, and Clodi had pasta. While eating, I noticed that Clodi opened a hidden compartment in her prosthetic arm and pulled out some kind of can. She put it to the side and replaced it with another can.

"What's that?" I asked.

"Hmm? Oh, its dust fuel for my arm." She said shyly. She really didn't like talking about herself, so I let it go. We finished lunch and left to return to our dorm.

_**A/N: Hey guys, sorry about last chapter. I totally forgot about it until the last minute. Anyway, I haven't been receiving any feedback! What's the point of posting if I don't know what you guys think?! So leave a review, it doesn't matter whether or not you liked it! Was it bad? Tell Me! I'll fix it! Was it good? I'll keep doing that! something missing? found an error? Then leave a review! If you liked it, then follow and favorite so I know that I should continue!**_

_**On a separate note, I'm in the process of writing another story. Its a self-insert with myself and my non-rwby-fan brother. Should I just keep it to myself? Let me know!**_

_**This is rwbyfan5, wishing you a happy thanksgiving!**_


	7. With the rush of a storm

Ch. 7: With the rush of a storm

Ater:

Weeks have passed since our first day of school. We got into the routine of school life and became more familiar with each other. Clodi eventually opened up to us, but only a bit. She told us that she lost her arm in some kind of explosion, but wouldn't say anymore than that. We all respected her wishes and dropped the subject. Vi was apparently good at cooking and sewing, much to our teasing. He usually retaliated by pointing out that the rest of us were completely hopeless either task. It was also thanks to him that our dorm was always spotless, even after Clodi wrecked it when she kept her semblance on for too long after Combat Training.

After everything and everyone had finally settled in, a freak storm hit the school. Nothing too bad, just a thunder storm, but Vi and Quies were totally freaked out. They were both apparently afraid of lightning. The two were cowering under their covers, trying to calm down by mocking the other for cowering. This was dashed whenever the sound of thunder rattled our window, causing them to yelp in fear. This was usually followed by a moment of silence before one or both of them would laugh nervously and continue the mockery. Meanwhile, Clodi and I were playing go fish. The power was out and it was a saturday, so we didn't have much else to do.

"Hey, Clodi?"

"Hmm?"

"How can you see so well if your hair is covering your eyes so thickly?" She seemed to hesitate at this, no surprise there. I wasn't really expecting a straight answer from her, but it was worth a try. What was a surprise, however, was when she lifted her hand and parted her bangs to reveal a mechanical left eye. Red, angry looking scar tissue surrounded it and traced along her forehead, highlighted by white wisps and patches. There was no iris visible in her right eye, just a small pupil My parents had trained me at an early age to hide my emotions, so I was able not to flinch, but it was hard.

"Now do you see why I don't like talking about it?"

"Yes, so why show me? Why not just brush it off like usual?"

"I don't know, I just...wanted to gauge your reaction to see if I could tell the others." She looked over to them, still hiding under their covers.

"You wanted to know if it was safe to show Vi." She flinch at this but said nothing. "If you're looking for advice: take it slow, build up to it, and make sure he's worth the risk." Now she looked confused.

"You sound like you're giving me dating advice."

"I am, you should also tell him you've got a mechanical eye at some point." Now she blushed and turned her face away from me.

"It's not like that."

"Isn't it?" I pressed. She responded by putting her cards down and walking away.

"I'm tired, I'm going to bed."

"Goodnight, then. I'm always here if you want to talk."

Clodi:

How _dare_ he! He had no right, especially after I trusted him enough to show him my eyes!

'_But isn't he right?_ _You can't blame him for seeing through your lies._' Deus sneared.

'_Shut up! I wasn't lying!_'

'_You're an even worse lier inside your head! Don't forget, I can see the truth behind your actions!_'

I decided to ignore her for the time being, choosing instead to change into my pajamas and go to my bed. Next to me, Vi was murmuring to himself in an attempt to ward off the fear.

'_How… unattractive._' Deus noted.

'_Actually, it's kinda-_' I stopped that thought right there.

"Vi, what's wrong? Why don't you just listen to your clock? I'm sure that would help." I asked out loud.

"I've tried! It broke!"

"Why don't you get something else?"

"I don't have any-" He froze as an idea came into his mind, "Hey, Clodi…" I threw a pillow at his face.

"No."

"Aww, come on! Please!"

"No! I'm not going to have you pressed up against my chest all night!"

"Not _all_ night! just for a little bit. Pleeeeaaaasssse?" Damn it, he was giving me those eyes. Shit! He's drooping his ears around his face. Must. Fight. His. Adorableness! I finally just sighed and lifted my blanket.

"Fine, get in." He fist pumped and literally hopped into my bed. He immediately pressed his ear against my heart.

'_Weak._' Deus whispered, which was weird considering she prefered yelling when insulting me. Wait...no, it couldn't be.

'_Deus...are you...Enjoying this?_'

'_What? No! It's not like that!_'

'_Oh My God! You so totally are! You Damn hypocrite!_'

'_Whatever, just shut up. You're ruining the moment._'

'_Deus Likes Vi! Deus Likes Vi!_'

'_Hey, I'm the voice inside your head! So what does that say about you?_' We both promptly just shut up. I looked down at Vi to see that he was already asleep and lightly snoring. And, within moments, I was to.

Quies:

The storm dissipated by the next morning. I woke up and noticed that all was quiet. I got up and looked around. My eyes quickly found Vi in Clodi's bed. A laugh escaped my lips, so I covered my mouth with my hands. Despite my efforts, though, Clodi woke. She lazily looked at me, then at Vi. Her eyes widened and she immediately pushed Vi off of her. Vi fell onto the floor with a _thud_ and he sat up as he became awake.

"Wha-"

"You lier! You said it would just be for a little while!"

"Why didn't just wake me up last night, then?" Vi asked as if the answer wasn't obvious. Well, considering it's Vi, he might actually not know. He was fairly oblivious to these things. I, however, had noticed the looks she would give him when he wasn't looking. Almost like she'd chewed something and wasn't sure how to describe the flavor. All things considered, she might even be oblivious to her own feelings. I could help with that. A sly smile came to my face, but I quickly hid it.

"Because I fell asleep!" Clodi continued.

"How is that my fault?"

"Because you're a very effective pillow. I should know." I commented. I used to use him as a pillow when we had sleep overs. We would lie in a 'T' formation with my head on his chest. It was very soft, and I was usually out like a light. Clockwork has the same effect on him. Too bad his clock had an...'accident'. My mental grin widened.

"Oh, sorry. If I could just figure out what's wrong with my clock, I wouldn't have trouble sleeping." Vi murmured, embarrassed and confused.

"How long do you think it'll take to fix it?"

"Depends on what's broken; Could take minutes, could take days. And that's only if I have the parts to fix it."

"How else will you sleep?" I asked with well-acted concern.

"I don't know, guess I'll have to suck it up and hope that no testes or anything pop up."

"Why can't you sleep without it?" Clodi asked.

"Nightmares. Monsters killing people you know right in front of you at an early age isn't exactly good for one's state of mind."

"Oh." Clodi said in a tone that meant she regretted asking. If I had to guess, she now felt obligated to help Vi. I mean, who would willingly subject someone so adorable to horrible, bloody nightmares?

"Well, if it's just a couple of days…" bullseye.

"Then it's settled! Now, who wants breakfast?" Everyone raised their hand and we walked to the cafeteria.


	8. Poker night

_**Hey, Fanatics, I'm back! Miss me? Anyway, I come bearing a new chapter! Also, The first chapter of my new fanfic, 'Into the Glyph', has been posted. Go check it out!**_

Ch. 8: poker night

Vi:

"Wh-Why?!" I asked Ater and Quies as they told me that they were going to get supplies in the city and wouldn't be back until late.

"Because, we're running out of dust!" Quies told me.

"Why can't I go?"

"Because last time I went on a shopping trip with you, you ended up freaking out!"

"It was really loud and they had a picture of an Ursa in their shop window!"

"It was a weapons supply shop! Of course it was going to be loud and have pictures of Grimm!"

"But I don't want to be alone!"

"Clodi's staying behind to keep you company, don't worry." Ater assured me. I saw a grin form then quickly disappear on Quies' face. She'd been doing that a lot whenever we talked about Clodi. Did she have a crush on her? I didn't think so, she was usually very...direct when it came to that sort of thing. I filed these thoughts away for later.

"Speaking of which, where is she?" I asked the obvious question, as usual.

"She'll be here anytime now. She went to grab some food." As if on cue, Clodi opened the door.

"Hey guys, I got sandwiches."

"Sweet!" I immediately started chowing down. I looked over to Quies to see that she had that look again. What was she hiding?

"Well, it's time for us to go. Take care!" She said and ran out of the room, dragging Ater behind her.

"What's her deal?" Clodi asked.

"No clue. So, what are we doing while they're gone?"

"Have you played chess before?"

"Of course I have, but we don't have a chess board."

"Oh. well, we do have a deck of cards. Do you know how to play poker?"

"Sure, which kind?" On the outside, my face conveyed slight confusion. On the inside, I was grinning like a madman. Poker was the only real way to pass the time back in my village.

"I don't know, what do you want to play?" I scratched my chin, pretending to think.

"How about five-card draw?"

"Alright." She got out the deck and started shuffling. The thing that she didn't know, that no one knew, was a secondary function to my semblance. I can teleport small, non-living things short distances. It really helps with fixing clocks...and decks.

"Hey, what are we betting?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Well, it's not really poker unless there's gambling involved."

"Oh, I don't know. I don't really have that much lien."

"Neither do I. Well, we could always play strip poker. It's not like we have much else to bet." I said, only half jokingly.

Clodi:

'How the hell did he talk us into this?' Deus asked me half-way through the game.

'I have no idea.' I replied honestly. Vi sat across from me, fully clothed. I, however, was...less so. The cards just seemed to hate me tonight. I'd even used my prosthetic eye to read his emotions, but his face was a blank mask. Even his damn heart rate was normal! I was half naked! How was he doing this!

'You weren't complaining when you had your shirt on.' Deus commented. He'd already won five games, all I had now was my underwear and cargo shorts.

'I thought that he'd have a worse poker face!' I looked at my hand, I had two pairs. Maybe that'd be enough. If not, I'd be in nothing but my bra and panties. I hung my head.

"I don't wanna play anymore." I moaned. Vi looked over to me, his face the picture of innocence.

"Nonsense! Tell you what, I'll let you put all of your clothes back on if you win!" Which, of course, meant that he had a winning hand. I sighed and showed my hand, then he showed me four aces.

Damn it.

And then of course the others got back.

Quies:

Ater and I spent most of our time just wandering about the town. We both knew about the tension between Clodi and Vi, and we decided to leave to give them some 'alone time'. When we got back, we found Clodi in her underwear. There was a pile of her clothes next to her, cards in her hand, and Vi looking way too innocent, also with cards in his hand.

I knew exactly what had happened and was immediately on the floor, literally rolling around in laughter. Clodi made a strangled little yelp and tried to cover herself. Ater just chuckled and covered his eyes. Meanwhile, Vi gave us a wide and seemingly innocent smile.

"Welcome back!"

"You sneaky little shit!" I said in between bouts of manic laughter. "I taught you too well!" His grin became wider and we highfived. I looked over to Clodi to see that she was struggling to get her clothes back on, and I started to laugh so hard I teared up.

As far as "Bonding time" went, I'd call their's a whopping success!

_**And that's a wrap! I hope you've enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it! Follow, fav, and review! Later!**_


	9. An issue of trust

Ch. 9: An issue of trust

Clodi:

Ever since the "Poker incident", I'd been keeping my guard up around Vi. Where once I thought he was sweet and innocent, I now knew of his monstrous capabilities. I was never playing anything that involved any form of gambling with him again. Nor would I ever take his word at face value. He seemed completely unaware of the distance I was trying to keep between us, and would constantly try to make small talk. He acted as if that day had never happened, and I think that's what disturbed me the most. There was never any embarrassment when he spoke to me, or any indicator that seeing me half naked had affected him at all. At one point he even offered to give me lessons on how to be better at the poker table, but there was no way in hell I was allowing him to try anything like that with me again.

Quies, on the other hand, was fully aware of my feelings and took measures to get us to "make up". I turned down all of them, and Vi was none the wiser to her attempts. Quies seemed to think we needed to get along, although I don't think it was so we could work better as a team. She still fancied herself a matchmaker, and I think she had set her sights on us. As if having Deus drool over him wasn't enough of an annoyance. Her total 180 on him still confused me, and she couldn't go ten minutes without mentioning some part of Vi's anatomy. Very particular parts that I didn't need to be thinking about during school, or any part of the day for that matter. I avoided using my semblance: if I let Deus take over, Vi would not walk away unscathed. It went on until one day Ater finally took action.

Ater:

The tension between Vi and Clodi needed to stop. I could cut it with my sword, it was so thick. So one day I discreetly removed the batteries from their scrolls and took them outside.

"Alright, everyone follow me." I said in my best leader voice.

I lead them into the emerald forest, deep enough to get lost. That was the point. We stopped and I turned to them.

"Today, we're going to do a little training exercise. We will be swapping partners, separate, and try to make it back to our dorm in one piece. You must remain within eyesight of your partner Understood? Good. Quies, you're with me. Last one there has to sleep on the floor. Go!"

Quies and I had talked before hand and she quickly dashed off. Quies would use her strings and get there within minutes, while I would remain invisible and keep an eye on Vi and Clodi while they tried to navigate the forest. Without their scrolls, they had no map, and no way to call for help. If they got in trouble, I would step in. Until then, my purpose was to get Clodi to use her semblance. From what I understood, her 'Divine Madness' allowed her to sense what others felt, so if she sensed that Vi didn't do what he did to mock her or whatever she'd forgive him and we could all go back to being a functioning team.

Clodi and Vi seemed stunned with how fast we'd gotten away.

"What the hell?" Vi sputtered out.

"Quick, after them!" Clodi shouted.

She seemed to be willing to ignore her feelings for the sake of a mission. I activated the video chat on my scroll so Quies would know what was going on and tucked it into my breast pocket with the camera pointing outward. With that done, I cut down a tree and aimed its descent towards Clodi. She yelped and used her fake arm to stop it from crushing her. When she pushed it away from her, she was panting from the sudden surprise mixed with the even more sudden energy she'd used. She was obviously trying to suppress her semblance from activating. Why? She always used it when in combat situations, it gave her more strength to use and enhanced her reflexes!

"Clodi! Are you okay?" Vi asked, concerned.

"I-I'm fine. Let's just go." She practically cringed away from him.

Vi took the hint and stayed away. They trekked on for a while longer before I struck again, cutting down another tree. This time she dodged out of the way.

"Man, trees just don't seem to like you today." Vi joked.

"Y-yea." Clodi murmured.

She was panting heavily with the effort of suppressing her semblance.

"You sure you're okay? You sound like you might be coming down with something." Vi teleported in front of her and placed his forehead on hers.

She froze, her face turning a deep crimson. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought she was sick too. But Quies and I knew the real reason she was blushing. The sudden boost to her heart rate seemed to finally be too much, and a manic grin spread across her face. She grabbed him by the shoulders and slammed him against a tree, causing him to let out a little scream. His cry was cut off as Clodi pressed her lips against his. Vi's eyes widened and he flailed his arms a bit, and he teleported away. Clodi saw this coming and was right in front of him when he reappeared.

"Hold still, lover boy! We're sleeping on the floor tonight!" She laughed and pinned him down again.

Then she tore off his…

Oh...Oh, god.

I decided that they were fine without me, and left as quickly as I could. My scroll buzzed. Quies was calling me, having seen what happened through my camera. When I answered, she had trouble talking through her laughter. By the time she'd calmed down enough to speak, I was already at the dorm.

"Mission success! Mission success!" She chanted while dancing around the room.

I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. This kind of behavior should not be considered normal, but it was.

Sweet dreams, Vi.

**_(A/N: I regret nothing!)_**


	10. The run of shame

_**Previously, on HOPE: Our favorite hare fanus got laid! But will this strengthen his bond with Clodi, or push them apart? Stay tuned for the thrilling conclusion of all this tense drama!**_

Ch. 10: The run of shame

Ater:

When I woke up the next morning, their beds were still empty. I started to worry until I saw a hint of a shoulder poking out of the edge of Clodi's bed. When I inspected it further, I saw that her and Vi were lying next to each other on the floor. I quickly looked away when I realized they were...les than clothed. the only thing covering them was a blanket. I took out my school issued leader's whistle and gave it a hard blow. They immediately woke up and covered their ears.

"Sleep well?" Asked Quies, who'd apparently discovered them before me.

Clodi and Vi were confused at our looks, until they saw themselves.

"ShitShitShitShitShitShitShit!" Clodi cursed and dashed to the bathroom, using the blanket to cover herself. Unfortunately, this left Vi with nothing.

"Hey, wait!" He cried, but she'd already closed and locked the door.

He hurriedly grabbed the pillow from the bed next to him and used that instead. Looking back at us, he flashed us a nervous smile.

"So...Lovely weather last night." We just silently stared at him, "Umm, we weren't having sex in the dorm room, if that's what you're thinking."

"No, you were doing it in the forest." Quies said, holding up her scroll playing a video of Clodi tearing his clothes off. Vi's face turn a deep crimson.

"I-I...Well, we….um…." Vi stuttered out. Quies finally let her poker face slip, and a wide, dopey, grin was plastered on her face. She lifted her arms in victory.

"I finally got you laid!" She cheered.

"W-what?!" Vi and I shouted, even Clodi gave a little scream from the bathroom. Quies had _planned_ on Clodi sleeping with him?!

"Quies! On what planet is that not creepy?!" I yelled.

"Oh, hush. People get their friends laid all the time." Quies crossed her arms defensively.

"No, no they do not!" Clodi's muffled voice screamed.

"_You_ have no room to speak, little miss Kink. You forced yourself on poor little Vi the moment you two were alone!" Quies smugly replied.

"That's not how it happened!"

"I have video evidence! Don't even try to lie to me!" Quies was enjoying this too much, she had a chesire cat smile bordering on manic. I decided this had gone too far.

"ENOUGH! Quies, go get us breakfast. Vi, get some clothes on then get some for Clodi. Go!" I commanded in my best leader voice.

Vi scrambled to comply, while Quies pouted at me before sulking away. We had no school today, so I changed into my casual wear: A black long sleeved shirt with loose fitting jeans. When Vi supplied Clodi with clothes and they were both dressed we sat in silence, waiting for Quies to return.

"So," I said, breaking the silence, "does this mean you're dating now? Because I'm getting really tired of the tension between you two."

Clodi:

We were quiet for a moment before we shared a glance.

"I-I'd be willing to give it a shot." Vi nervously scratched the back of his neck.

'_I Want I Want I Want I Want I Want_-' Deus chanted in my head.

'_Shut up!_' I shouted at her, '_You _had _just last night!_'

'_MoreMoreMoreMoreMore-_'

"Clodi?" Ater's voice cut through my internal struggle.

"Hmm?" I realized I'd remained silent after Vi had pretty much asked me out.

'_What do I say?_' I asked myself, though Deus heard me.

'_MOREMOREMOREMOREMORE!_' She continued, her voice growing in volume.

"I….I….Need to think about this." I stammered out and quickly ran out of the room.

I kept running until I was out of the school, heading for the forest. After I got there I kept running. If I stopped, I wouldn't have anything to keep Deus quiet. I just focused on taking the next step as fast as I could. After ten minutes of this, I crashed into a tree. Finally, I just limply fell to the ground.

I curled into a ball and just lied there. None of this was fair. I wanted to be with Vi, but I had no way of knowing if these were _my_ wants or Deus'. Why did this even need to be a problem? Why couldn't I just say 'yes' or 'no'? Why was this so damn hard?!

'_You know what else is-_'

'_Shut your damn mouth! You're the reason this whole thing started!_'

'_Am I now..._' her voice resonated with amusement, '_Do keep in mind that my action are fueled by your emotions._'

'_What's that supposed to mean?!_'

'_Oh, come on. You can't tell me you haven't noticed..._' She purred.

I had. She seemed more frantic whenever I was nervous, and playful when I was frustrated. Then there was the fact that she hadn't tried to take over, even though I had more adrenaline than blood pumping through me right now.

'_Alright, I'll bite. What the hell's your deal?_'

'_My 'deal' is I'm always exactly what you need. I am strength when you are weak, I am decisive when you are confused, I am your guiding shadow when the light is too bright. I, dear Clodi, am your necessary evil._' She said dramatically. I quirked an eyebrow.

'_How long have you been preparing that speech?_' I asked, deadpan.

'_I don't know what you're talking about._' She replied haughtily.

'_Whatever. If that's all true, then why are you projecting these feeling onto me?_' I demanded. She laughed.

'_You __**still**_ _don't get it? I'm simply pulling these feelings out of the rug you hid them under. I can't __**make**_ _you feel anything!_'

Vi:

The room was deathly quiet after Clodi left. I was nervously pacing the room.

"Shit, I should've just waited for her to say something before opening my big mouth. If I'd just stayed quiet-"

"You can't think like that, Vi. I think you're jumping to conclusions a little too fast." Ater said, trying to be reassuring. It wasn't working. Quies walked in with a tray.

"I'm back, brought you all breakfast. Where's Clodi?"

"Thinking." Ater said simply. Quies frowned a bit, knowing exactly what that meant.

"Then why the hell are you still here?!" Quies pointed at me angrily.

"W-what?" I raised my hands defensively.

"When a girl runs away, the guy has to chase after her!"

"What?" I was still confused. Quies pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Oh, for god's sake, you're hopeless." She grabbed my arm and literally threw me out of the room, "Go. After. Her. And don't come back until she's decided on an answer!" She slammed the door and locked it. I stood there for a bit, stunned.

"Vi?" said a voice down the hall. I turned to see Clodi, a light dusting of leaves in her hair.

"Uh, hey, Clodi." I greeted, "They kinda kicked me out."

"And by 'they' you mean Quies?"

"Yea…" We both nervously chuckled.

"So, about earlier-" She started, but I raised a hand.

"It's fine, I get it. You weren't thinking clearly lastnight, and I was just an outlet-"

"I think I was thinking clearly enough by round five, Vi. If I hadn't wanted to, I wouldn't of done any of those things. You weren't an 'outlet' for anything." At this point we were both studying our shoes, not wanting to look the other in the eye.

"So, you don't mind being with a fanus?" I asked meekly.

"What? Of course not! What made you think that?"

"I-I don't know it's just-"

I lost the ability and will to speak as Clodi lifted my chin and pressed her lips to mine. I heard a squeal from our dorm room and was reminded that we were still standing in front of our door with a peep hole in it. Quies had apparently seen and heard the whole thing. I aimed a middle finger in her general direction and teleported us onto the roof for some privacy.

_**And that's a wrap! I bet none of you saw that coming! I hope you enjoyed!**_

_**On this note, I would like to confess to something here. I only have access to my laptop on weekends, so these chapters are usually started and finished on the day of their release. Which means that I don't have a lot of time to plan out how the story goes, so I usually let the story write itself. But this presents a challenge because of the utter lack of a plot, as many of you have probably noticed. My other story, "Into the Glyph", is much easier due to the fact that most of the plot is handed to me by the original**____**show. They're starting to vye for my attention, meaning that ITG is starting to consume most of my writing. Also, despite only being up for three weeks, ITG has twice as many follows and favorites as this story, which has been up for ten weeks now. If I can't figure out an actually plotline in the next two weeks, HOPE will be discontinued. I sorry for any and all who have started to like this story if it comes to that.**_

_**You can help by sending me suggestions via PM or review. HOPE has face a lot of turbulence because of my inexperience, but I hope it survive a bit longer. It holds a special place in my heart because it's my first fanfic, so any help is appreciated.**_

_**Thank you for your time.**_

_**-rwbyfan5**_


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